Opening a day-long event on October 15, 2024, Ben Maddox asked the audience to consider why it is easier to change some things than others, such as purchasing the newest phone model while clinging to a favorite shirt for over a decade.

“We call this the mindset of change,” said Maddox, the Chief Information Officer for Ithaca and Cornell Tech. “What incentivizes or motivates us to change, even when it’s hard, and sometimes because it’s hard? In today’s conversations and dialogues, I hope you’ll learn how we can be figures, leaders, and navigators of change for Cornell in a new day.”

Each of the morning keynote speakers shared different perspectives of change and how it impacts individuals. The people-focused aspect of a transition is often referred to as Organizational Change Management, and people are at the center of the Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative, CEMI, discussed by Chief Global Information Officer Curtis Cole in his keynote address.

Navigational Guides for a Multi-year Transformation

Cole, who joined the event remotely from his office at Weill Cornell Medicine, discussed five key points that can serve as navigational guides to prevent a multi-year transformation like CEMI –and the people it impacts-- from suffering unintentional consequences.

“We must be clear about what we are trying to achieve, to enable everybody to better engage with and serve our real customers—our students, patients, faculty, staff, alumni, partners, and donors,” said Cole. The remaining four guidelines are remaining clear about the specific problems we want to solve, clear about shared processes and what exceptional differences need preserving, being decisive and not wasting time relitigating resolved issues, and remaining open to change.

Among Cole’s slides, the image that most resonated with participants seemed to be that of two vehicles, a tractor, and a drone, under a phrase he attributed to Maddox, “As common as possible, as different as necessary.” His analogy illustrated the distinction between shared and differentiated processes, including unique use cases in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Sciences.

“If you happen to be comparing a Honda Accord and a Toyota Camry, it’s not that hard. They do basically the same thing. But in CALS, they might be using a tractor. And at Bowers, they might be flying a drone. And a Honda Accord is not going to cut it,” said Cole.

Watch Cole's presentation.

His remarks concluded by encouraging the audience members to remain open and encouraging of new ideas and experimentation --an unplanned segue into the bright outlook of the next keynote speaker, Andrew Karolyi, Charles Field Knight Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

The Difference Between Change and Transition

Karolyi is an optimist and said it is an important quality to have when going through change, then explained the difference between change and transition. Attributing his definition to the book, “Managing Transitions” by William and Susan Bridges, Karolyi said change is an external event that occurs, and transition is an inner psychological process that people go through as they internalize the new situation associated with the change. Because change can put people into uncomfortable or distressing positions in which they are worried about many things, leaders need tools to help their people move from the old to the new.

“Dealing with transition is not always about the outcome of the change, it’s also the process of helping people leave endings and shepherd in understandings of the new things that will be happening,” said Karolyi. “The Bridges model also talks about the neutral zone between leaving the endings and the adoptions of the new ways.”

His illustrations revealed why change may occur quickly, but transitions –the people-adoption process—take time.

Watch Karolyi's presentation.

Empowering Others in a Transition

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost for Enrollment Lisa Nishii stepped into her role a month before the Supreme Court banned race-conscious admissions and shortly before the Department of Education launched the massively disrupting FAFSA Simplification Act. But she also expressed an optimistic approach to facing changes like these by thinking of them as an ongoing cycle of iterating, learning, iterating, and learning. 

“Leading change for myself is easier because I can see, sense, and regulate my emotions more easily than I can see, understand, and respond to the very different reactions other people may have during a transition process,” she said. “But what I really enjoy is empowering others to be part of the solution.” 

Regardless of the type of change proposed, she starts with data but recognizes only shared ownership of insights will drive the energy needed to push through resistance. She believes change is far more effective when the process is inclusive from the beginning and cited the proximity principle: those closest to the work have the expertise needed to inform solutions going forward. 

“When people feel like they are being changed as opposed to being part of change, it’s going to be a lot harder to push that forward,” Niishi said. “A colleague of mine said, ‘The soft stuff has hard outcomes.’ Paying attention to those relationships and building them, I find is so, so worth the investment.” 

After translating abstract ideas into doable behaviors, Niishi seeks out bright spots where that transition is happening, to help inspire others and show what success might look like. 

Watch Niishi's presentation.

Niishi, Karolyi and Maddox then engaged in a panel discussion, taking questions from the audience and setting the stage for the afternoon breakout sessions. For details about those sessions, read “October 15 Navigating Change Facilitators Share Projects and Process Insights in Breakout Sessions.” 

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